


Same Difference

by everyoneinspaceisgay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Introspection, i tried to end this positively but for some reason it wanted to be melancholy sorry, wolfstar if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-19 10:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16532993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyoneinspaceisgay/pseuds/everyoneinspaceisgay
Summary: Sirius is stuck in 12 Grimmauld Place, but his animal companions make it a little easier.





	Same Difference

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #: 1 by starfishstar  
>  _Prompt: : I think about Sirius that year in 12 Grimmauld Place, how lonely and depressed he was, while everyone else's life went on around him... and I really, really like the idea that Crookshanks (clever cat that he is!) befriended Sirius – or Sirius in Padfoot form – and made his life less lonely. Maybe Buckbeak, too, had that intuition that animals so often have for when humans are sick or unhappy and need comfort._
> 
> Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.  
> Notes: Was meant to be a bit happier, oops. I think it ends on a hopeful note though.

Time didn't seem to obey any laws of nature when Sirius was involved. His 12 years in Azkaban had felt both as long as an eternity, and as though nothing should have changed in the world whilst he was there. Of course, the world didn't know this, and he was stuck with things that were simultaneously very different, and dreadfully familiar.

Here he was, trapped in another type of prison, with it's own way of causing him to relive some of his most traumatic and painful memories. Remus was here too, mostly, but there were new scars on his face and new lines around his mouth as he visibly bit his tongue halfway through talking to Sirius. And of course, his godson Harry was a fifteen year old teen with enough angst to give even his younger self a run for his money - totally justifiably of course. The Order still existed, as did the fight against Voldemort, but this time Sirius wasn't able to _do_ anything. He just sat in this godforsaken house listening to his mother's rants, surrounded by decor that time forgot. Like it felt it had forgotten him.

Of course, there were some perks to being out of Azkaban. Harry, to start with. Looking just like his father, but reminding Sirius so much of Lily. And Remus didn't have to suffer his transformations alone anymore, no matter what Dumbledore thought of the matter, or the shaky availability of Wolfsbane.

And Buckbeak. Buckbeak, who had flown him away from the Dementors, and who now occupied his father's study. Buckbeak, whose sharp eyes demanded such respect but in a way that Sirius didn't mind giving it to him. It reminded him of how he probably should have regarded Minerva when he was at Hogwarts. It reminded him more of how he had felt about Lily. She'd just had this _presence_ that told anyone near that she was not to be messed with.

And Crookshanks. Sirius wasn't sure he'd still be here if it wasn't for the ugly cat pouncing on him when he was in dog form and forcing him to eat something. Although the furry orange monster had initially distrusted him, they had forged a bond that year that Sirius had been trying to keep an eye on Harry, mind full of the knowledge that Peter was not only alive, but living in the same dormitory as his godson.

Crookshanks was an odd beast, really, not that Sirius was one to judge. He often seemed far more human than Sirius felt, and possessed a burning sense of loyalty and intelligence. It had taken a while for them to peacefully coexist, even after they had established that they had the same aim in mind. It had taken longer still since that goal had eluded them for the time being. Crookshanks would often roll on his back when Sirius was in dog form, and Sirius had initially pounced, thinking that the cat wanted to play. He learnt quickly that this was not the case. Eventually, he realised that the cat was showing that he trusted him, but that he would be quick to lash out if Sirius pushed that trust too far. It was another year before he worked out that the cat's behaviour reminded him acutely of Remus.

And so the year of hiding in his parents' house continued, but the routine of feeding and grooming Buckbeak, and the solid exertion of cleaning up his... mess combined with the slowly budding relationship between himself and Hermione's cat meant that it was just about bearable. And if Crookshanks had figured out he wanted to spend time with Remus, and would sit in his lap to prevent him from leaving the room when Sirius entered, well, that was just a bonus.


End file.
